Page 74 of No Good Deed

Her heart melted. “I like the sound of that. And I think the Santa suit activity from last night should be at the top of the list.”

Troy laughed. They’d made love in the saloon while Troy wore most of the suit. Then again, with Piper wearing nothing but the hat. “That one’s a definite keeper. What traditions did you have with your parents?”

She leaned her head back on his chest. “Not many, really. We were a quiet little family. We mostly just spent the day together, and enjoyed playing games.”

Troy’s hand coasted over her back. “Sounds nice. And I bet those family days are at the heart of your ideas for this town, and the other jobs you’ve done.”

Was he right? She’d never thought about that. Family time had always been a priority for her parents. They’d always shown they’d loved her in so many ways. The games and activities they’d done together had been a huge part of her childhood. “I think you might be right. Mom loved to make different games like the Phail cards we used last night.”

“What about your dad?”

That made her laugh. “He was up to try anything, but he always said Mom had the creative brain. He would make us French toast whenever Mom was coming up with ideas. He called it creativity fuel.” And she’d forgotten that memory. “Thanks for helping me remember that.”

“I love French toast. How about we start the day off with that?”

Over breakfast, they talked more about their families and more Christmas memories. They made fast, frantic love in the shower, then again with so much tenderness in the bed her heart swelled.

When they were sipping hot cocoa and watching Home Alone, Piper leaned into Troy’s shoulder. “I still need a job.”

He laughed. “You’re building our town. That’s a biggie.”

She nodded. It was a biggie, but it didn’t pay anything. Her severance package from her last job wouldn’t last forever, but it would keep her going for months at least. Expenses in a small town were much lower than in a city. But she still wanted to make her own money.

“I’ve actually got two thoughts about what to do next. Bella gave me the first one.”

“Bella? You thinking of taking arson investigator courses?”

She laughed along with him. “No. But I like her idea of doing online consulting, especially with smaller communities who have no budget for a full-time consultant.”

Troy sat forward. “That’s a brilliant idea. You’ve done such an amazing job here. I know you’d get dozens of recommendations from everyone in town.”

The thought warmed her heart. Not only had she been successful with her first small-town consultation, but she’d found her people and her person. “You don’t think the idea is too far-fetched?”

“Not even a little bit. I bet there any number of places here in New England alone that would love to get advice about building their towns. Looks like you’ve got another website to build. Phail Consulting?”

That made her laugh. “Not even a chance of that. I haven’t got far enough in my thinking to consider business names yet.”

Troy leaned in to kiss her. “You’ll come up with something amazing. I love the idea.”

A lightbulb hit, and she broke the kiss. “Wait. All this talk about my parents made me remember what my mom always said. Piper, pipe dreams are the best dreams. Why do you think we chose your name? You were our pipe dream. Maybe I should call it Pipe Dream Consulting. Or something like that if that’s already in use.”

Troy laughed. “I love that. It would be a great connection to your parents. I think I would have really liked them. So, what’s your second idea?”

“Remember when I mentioned the idea of opening a small Phail Visitor’s Center? With local goods and arts, information on the town.”

Troy wrapped his arm around her. “You talked about that in the Saloon that day.”

Of course, he remembered. “I think I’d like to run that or help run that. It wouldn’t be something that needed to be open every day, and it wouldn’t be a big thing, but it would be fun.”

“I think it’s a great idea. You’ve already figured out what makes the town tick and how to showcase the local talent. I think the storefront should be on the main square, somewhere around the park we’re going to build.”

She placed her mug on the coffee table and turned to look at him. “It wouldn’t have to be a big building, not even a whole building. Maybe just a corner of another business.”

“If Phail General wasn’t already bursting at the seams, it would be a good fit.”

Piper nodded. “Maybe in the building next door.”

Troy was silent for a minute. “Marcus is talking about needing more officers and needing more space if he does hire someone else. He’s talked about maybe using one of the empty buildings around town as a police station. If that’s happening anytime soon, maybe you could use the back room of Phail General and turn it into a tourist space, your visitor’s center.”

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